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Monday, 15 April 2013

Classic Game - Impossamole (C64 / Amiga)

Impossamole
is a game I have always loved since first getting my hands on the
Commodore 64 cassette way back in 1990 – the year of the games
release. I recall seeing it advertised in Commodore Format magazine and immediately wanting to buy it, as well as being blown away by the graphics for the 16-bit Amiga version. However, as I was only 10 years old and had just been
given my very first computer, a lovely C64, I was more than happy to
stick to 8-bits (for now). I remember it clearly - I spotted the game on the shelf of our local computer store, and immediately asked my father if he would get it for me. Being a generous chap he obliged and on the journey home I sat reading the back of the cassette inlay and ogling the screen-shots, eager to start playing. I had already enjoyed the previous installments of Monty Mole's adventures, Monty On The Run and Auf Weidersehen Monty, so I was keen to see what new adventures awaited our short sighted rodent hero. Here, Monty was kitted out in a Superman style costume, with flowing cape and a flame thrower in his hands. How could this not be awesome?

The laughably bad loading screen

The first of the four selectable stages sees Monty exploring

underground caves - well, he is a mole after all

In this new adventure, Monty dons his superhero cape and sets out across 5 lengthy stages in which he must
avoid or destroy all manner of critters and obstacles as he makes his
way to the level boss. The first 4 stages (Klondike Mines, The
Orient, The Amazon and the generic sounding 'Ice Land', can be
tackled in any order, but the fifth and final stage, Bermuda
Triangle, can only be attempted once the first four have been beaten.
The visuals for both the levels and the characters they contain are
striking and extremely colourful, and have a comic book look to them.
The Amiga version is leagues ahead of the C64 in this respect,
naturally, but the C64 puts in a great effort, with some lovely, chunky sprites and rich backgrounds. The music is also excellent, with the title
screen in particular being very memorable, what with it being a
remixed version of the Monty On The Run music. The SID chip contained
within the C64 does its usual sterling job of bringing fantastic chiptune music to life, while the Amiga throws in some crazy samples –
included sounds of a DJ scratching a record.

The background are extremely cartoony and full of charm

In
his Impossamole guise, Monty is able to defend himself in many ways.
First is his kick move – which you will be using a lot – as well
as a limited supply of bombs that can be tossed at your foes. Often
you can find a lazer bazooka that inflicts loads of damage to
anything foolish enough to get in the way. Strangely, many enemies
are completely invincible, even when they look identical to ones that
can be destroyed. This is a weird design choice as you are never sure
what you can or can't kill until you start kicking or bombing it, and
it increases the, already high, difficulty level. Indeed, Impossamole
is brutally difficult. The Klondike Mine (the level most will try
first) is a nightmare to navigate due to the sheer number of enemies,
mine carts, re-spawning skeletons and toxic sludge that hurts Monty.
Once you have managed to get past all this, you then have to face a
worm creature that burrows out of harms way while spitting
projectiles at you. Some levels even contain enemies that home in on
your position and just will not piss off until you kill them, or you fall
down a hole, taking you to another section of the stage. Thankfully Monty has a
life bar (rather than one-hit kills) that can be topped up by
collecting cans of worms. Unfortunately, though, he has only the one life, so
you had better be on your toes. This is not a game for casual players
as its difficulty will drive many to pull their hair out in
frustration.

With only his trusty cape to keep him warm,

Monty explores the Ice Land stage

The
thing is, Impossamole has the 'one more go' factor that keeps you
returning. The levels are interesting to explore and feel far more
open ended than the usual 2D platformers, despite being fairly
linear, due to being able to take different routes through the
stages. It is also immensely enjoyable to play. Jumping over snakes,
kicking bats, throwing bombs at monkeys, climbing ropes and
collecting coins all add up to make an engaging and fun platform
game. I was never able to complete it (as far as I can recall), but I
certainly got to the final stage. It is one of the games on
my 'to complete – once and for all' list.

The Amiga version's graphics are gorgeous

Many
years later (two decades, in fact) I would sadly discover that not
everyone shared my love for Monty's heroic adventures in Impossamole. Indeed, many
people often called it such things as 'crap', and 'worst Monty game
ever!'. Blasphemy.

This
was quite a shock as I consider it one of my favourite 8-bit games,
and one I still play now and then. Yes, it is bastard hard – making
completing the first stage a heroic achievement in itself – but it
is extremely fun to play, full of character and holds a strange sense
of exploration, despite there only being a few different routes to
choose from. I am sure there is an element of rose-tinted spectacles
here, but I stand by my praise for this game and highly recommend you
try it out for yourself.

The Amazon is full of mole-hating adversaries

and environmental dangers

Other
Versions

The
Spectrum version is pretty reasonable, containing some large sprites
and nice use of the Speccy's limited colour palate. Gameplay remains
similar though the game is quite slow, and there is no smooth
scrolling – the screen stops and quickly moves to the next. There
is also no in-game music, but the sound effects aren't too bad.

The Speccy has some nice bold sprites,

but lacks the colour of the other versions

The
Amstrad CPC version has the usual chunky and colourful graphics you
would expect – it actually looks quite nice. The game has the same
non-smooth scrolling as the Spectrum version, but is nicer to look
at. Gameplay speed is also decent, making this a good overall version
of Impossamole, though clearly not in the same league as either the
C64 or Amiga versions.

The Amstrad has some cute sprites and nice use of

colour, but lacks the scrolling of the C64 version

The
Atari ST version looks nigh-on identical to the Amiga version,
retaining the cartoon visuals and the quick pace of the game. The only
difference I noticed was that the ST's music and sound effects
weren't as good, sounding exceptionally weedy in comparison to the Amiga, which is a surprise considering the ST's musical leanings.

The 16-bit Atari version looks just as good as the Amiga,

but is let down by poor audio

The
PC Engine version is a strange port that features a main sprite that
resembles a grey pig more than a mole. It also has an amusing intro
story told by static screens explaining the nonsensical premise of
the game in which Monty is abducted from the beach and turned into a
super hero – for no god-damn reason at all! The gameplay is substantially different to the home computer offerings, with Monty having to locate hidden scrolls in each of the completely redesigned stages, as well as a new offensive attack which allows Monty to capture the critters in a box that he can then hurl at other adversaries. Monty also takes to the water in new swimming sections –
in which he dons a ludicrous underwater outfit. Overall, the PC Engine version is not a bad game, it just feels nothing like the Impossamole I know and love.